


Disappointment

by NightValeian



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Post-Credits Scene, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Protective Clint Barton, That one scene with all of the sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-06 19:45:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6767404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightValeian/pseuds/NightValeian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint answers Steve's call. </p><p>But he's not doing it for Steve.</p><p>He's doing it for Wanda.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disappointment

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I saw Civil War and my whole idea about why Clint joined the fight wasn't just because 'Steve called first', it was more because Wanda was involved and he wanted to go protect her from the fighting. 
> 
> This is going to be a few parts long, emphasis on Clint and Wanda's parent/child relationship, and it'll basically just go through the movie and give life to the brief moments we saw them on screen together.

It was another normal, peaceful day of retirement. 

Clint and Laura had announced to their children they were going water skiing the following weekend and of course, they were thrilled. Now that Clint had retired, life was so much easier. There was so much time to go off on trips and spend time with his family.

Cooper was talking their ears off about what he believed ‘proper water skiing techniques’ were, Lila was listening with wide eyes and full attention, while Nathaniel sat on the floor, chewing on a wooden block with a very hard look of determination.

Everything was great.

And of course, it was all ruined when his phone rang.

"Hello? Oh, hey, Cap."

Laura looks up from watching Nathaniel play on the floor, look shifting from joy to concern. She didn't have to say anything; he knew she was hoping that Steve was just calling to say hi.

It was never just 'hi' though with the Avengers.

"What can I do for you? I'm sure Nat told you that I'm retired now."

"Clint, you know I would never ask you to help unless you were absolutely needed--"

"As flattering as that is, I'm going to start off by saying no."

"But--"

"But nothing, Cap. I want to spend time with my family. That's what people do when they retire."

"I know that, but Tony is--"

"Nat told me. Look, I don't completely agree with the whole idea of being kept in check by an outside source either, but Tony is a big boy and he's making his own decisions." Clint said with a sigh, moving out of the room and onto the porch, away from Laura's questioning eyes. "You can't make him change his mind, Steve."

"I'm not trying to make him change his mind." Steve said firmly, but he doesn't sound too sure of himself and Clint doesn't believe him. "That's not what I was calling about."

"Oh no?"

"No. I found Bucky."

"I know. It's all over the news."

"He didn't do it, Clint. He didn't kill those people."

"Okay." Clint snorted. There was photographic evidence; now he knew what Nat meant when she said Steve was 'compromised'.

"But we know who did and right now, this guy is flying across the world to go wake up five other Winter Soldiers who Bucky said could take out the entire country." Steve explained in a rush as if he were afraid to take his time in case Clint didn't believe him.

Clint frowned, grip tightening on his phone. "Five of them? There's more?"

"Yes. Five more. And they're even stronger than Bucky. More dangerous."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Clint asked. "Why don't you just tell Tony so he can tell Ross?"

"Tony won't believe me. He's fighting the good fight for Ross and would just throw Bucky in jail." Steve said, tone defeated.

"Look, Steve, buddy, you know I love you, but...my family...my kids..." Clint began, sighing heavily. "They need me."

"I understand. I'm sorry. I just need all the help I can get right now." Steve said apologetically.

"Well, I mean, you have Sam and Sharon. Wanda is there too--"

"Wanda's under house arrest."

Clint's stomach sank. "Excuse me?"

"Tony had her confined to the house for 'safety.'" Steve said quietly. "Whether hers or the people, I'm not sure anymore."

Clint thought about it, long and hard. Despite how he'd retired, he made an effort to keep in touch with Wanda. She'd lost so much after Sokovia and he felt like he needed to look after her; she was still just a kid. In a way, he thought of her like his own kid sometimes.

"Is she being supervised?"

"Vision is watching her. If we wanted to get her out, we'd need a diversion."

Clint looked back into the house, hearing the sounds of his kids laughing and shrieking with one another.

Could he really abandon them like this again?

Wanda needed him too. Cap was counting on him.

Clint sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"I'll go get her. Text me a meetup point and I'll keep in touch."

"I will. Thanks, Barton."

The call ended with a click; Clint shoved his phone back into his pocket and ran a hand over his face.

Now what would he tell Laura?

"What did Cap want?" Laura asked suddenly from the doorway, startling Clint before he spun around to face her.

"...Mom and dad are fighting again. Of course they need someone with common sense to come beat it into them." Clint said with a weak smile.

Laura didn't laugh; she looked concerned and Clint's smile faded.

"Wanda needs me."

"You're leaving." Laura said bluntly.

"Just for a few days."

"You're retired."

"I can't abandon her." Clint argued.

"You can't abandon us either." Laura said calmly.

She was right; she'd always been so supportive of his choices and when he retired, he knew how happy she was about it. He could watch their children grow up without having to worry about whether or not he was coming home.

"Laura, I'm sorry."

"I know."

She moved out onto the porch, straight into his open arms, and they held each other so tightly like if they let go the other would just disappear.

"Maybe next time, you should just bring her home with you." Laura suggested quietly. "She'd have a home to live in off the grid. I know she looks up to you."

"She likes you too. After you met that one time." Clint added. "And the kids."

"Well, I know we wouldn't mind if she decided to stay. Make sure she knows that." Laura said, pulling back with a sigh.

Clint leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, intent on chasing away the wrinkle of worry that was there; her eyes closed peacefully.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Clint, but you still have to tell the kids you're skipping out on water skiing." Laura said, pulling away completely and giving him a slightly teasing smile. "That's your job right now."

Clint heaved a sigh.

Great. Now he had to go disappoint his kids.


	2. Rescue

After Sokovia, Clint had brought Wanda home and introduced her to Laura as well as the kids. The kids had taken an immediate shine to her, eyes as wide as saucers as she moved things around with her powers, while Laura welcomed her with open arms, treating her like she had known Wanda her entire life. 

Clint had never seen Wanda so happy and after a brief discussion with Laura, they agreed that if the girl wanted to stay with them, she was more than welcome. Wanda took so easily to life on the farm, even after only a few days; she loved helping Laura cook in the kitchen and she spent most of her time playing outside with the kids, though the child she spent the most time with was Nathaniel, due to his namesake. 

It had been Laura's idea, really. Pietro's death had hit Clint really hard; that kid had died saving his life after all and when Nathaniel was born, he needed a middle name. Laura wanted to honor the boy who never really had a chance to live.

When Clint first announced their decision to Wanda, she cried and when he started to apologize, all she did was thank him. 

After that day, Laura and Clint decided to ask Wanda to stay, having already started discussing turning the guest room into her forever room and keeping her with them while raising her with their own children.

Before they could extend their offer, one nightmare caused the house to shake and had scared the kids. No one had been hurt, but Wanda's guilt had gotten the best of her. She thought of herself as dangerous.

Wanda decided it would be better if she lived with the other Avengers, so no one would get hurt and she could train her powers so she could help people instead. Even though Clint had begged her to stay, her mind had already been made up.

She ran.

She was more like Clint than he'd thought.

Avengers Headquarters was built to withstand a head-on attack on the outside while representing something relatively close to normal housing on the inside. When Tony had thrown it together, he'd made sure that everyone had their own space and that it was furnished the way they wanted it to be furnished even if they were never using it. 

Wanda had moved right in, hoping to call this place her home like everyone else. 

Now she was being kept there, not able to leave, and it felt like a prison. 

Getting into headquarters was the easy part, it was distracting Vision that would prove to be a bit more difficult. 

Though one small forest fire bought him the time he needed to run inside.

He found Wanda alone in the living room; one step inside and she had a knife on him, pointing it right between his eyes. 

Well, that wasn't the welcome he was expecting. 

"I guess I should have knocked." He joked weakly.

"Oh my God." Wanda breathed, lowering the knife with a wave of her hand and approaching him. "What are you doing here?"

Clint moved past her, shooting two arrows; one at the far wall and one into the counter. One electrical field would give them the time they needed to run if they ran into Vision before they could disappear. 

"Just disappointing my kids." He replied simply. "We were supposed to go water skiing." 

Wanda was staring at him in disbelief, like she was unable to believe that he was really standing there in front of her. He reached out, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze.   
"Cap needs our help. Let's go." Clint said gently, tugging her hand so she would follow him to the exit. His tone was soft, coaxing, as if he were talking to one of his children at home; Wanda was a child, but she wasn't that young, so he didn't know why he was talking to her that way.

Maybe it was because she looked so scared, so sad; that was probably it. 

"Clint!" Vision's voice was clear and firm as it rang out across the room causing them both to come to a stop. "You shouldn't be here."

"Really? I retire for what, five minutes, and everything goes to shit?" Clint asked sarcastically. 

"You should take a moment to consider the consequences of your actions." Vision said carefully.

Wanda squeezed his hand, he squeezed back. Wanda's safety was his priority and he would be damned before he let anyone lock her back up in a cage for her own 'safety'. 

"They're considered." Clint said casually as Vision walked straight into the invisible field, the electricity causing him to briefly short circuit and buying them only precious moments of time.

Wanda let go of his hand.

"Okay. We gotta go." Clint said, turning and heading towards the exit, trusting she'd follow, but when he turned back to check, she was standing where he left her. 

"The exit is this way." He reminded her, gesturing with his hand. 

"I can't go. I'm not safe." She said, looking down at the floor. 

Clint felt a surge of anger run through his entire body at that statement. What had these people told her? How could they lock up a child and tell her that she was dangerous? That it was for her own good? How many times had she heard that before? 

He walked back to her, expression firm. 

"If you want to mope you can go back to high school. You want to make amends, you get off your ass." He said and she looked up at him in surprise, eyes wide.

It was kind of a harsh thing to say, but he never danced around the point with her. She was old enough to be talked to that way and when he did, she always seemed to gain the confidence she needed to do what she wanted to do.

Clint turned around to leave, knowing she would follow, and then suddenly, Vision was on him.

Vision's arm was a tight vice around his neck, cutting off his air, and no matter how hard he tried to pull him off, the guy wouldn't budge. 

When had this guy gotten so strong? 

"My apologies, Clint, but you are not strong enough to defeat me." Vision said.

Clint met Wanda's eyes. She looked afraid, hesitant, but red sparks were rolling from her fingertips and he knew that she was making a choice. 

"No." Clint agreed with some difficulty. "But she is."

Wanda raised her arms, creating a ball of red energy with careful movements of her hands that somehow overcame Vision's entire being, controlling his arms until he let Clint fall to the floor. 

Clint coughed, sucking in deep breathes of air as he crawled across the floor to Wanda's side. He'd come all this way to rescue her and here she was rescuing him; God, he was so proud. 

"If you do this, they will never stop being afraid of you." Vision warned, struggling to fight against the strength of her power, but failing even though the floor under his feet was starting to succumb to the pressure.

"I cannot control their fear." Wanda replied. "Only my own."

And with one motion, she proceeded to send Vision through the floor and at least forty layers towards the center of the Earth. 

"Holy shit." Clint said in surprise, looking down the tunnel she had created and seeing nothing but absolute darkness. He looked up at her, unable to stop grinning. "You're amazing."

Wanda was staring down the tunnel, hands still sparking and shoulders shaking, so Clint got to his feet and placed his hands on the sides of her arms. She calmed almost immediately, looking up at him for a moment before he pulled her into his arms, giving her a hug he had been planning on reserving until later, but he figured she could use it now. 

"I am so proud of you." Clint murmured. "You are amazing." 

Wanda said nothing, but the tightening of her arms around him made him aware that she appreciated the statement. He always wanted her to make her own choices and she knew he'd be proud of her even if she had decided not to come with him. 

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, hugging each other. It hadn't been long since they'd last seen one another, but it felt like forever; Clint missed having her at the farm more than he could say and as proud as he'd been that she'd made the choice to be an Avenger, he really just wanted her to come home. 

Clint finally pulled away, ruffling her hair gently, and she smiled up at him, though it was incredibly small. They had a long drive ahead of them, hopefully he'd be able to coax out a big smile or two in that time.

"Come on. We should go." He coaxed, taking her hand and leading her to the door again. 

"Are we going to see Steve?" She asked.

"Nah. We have to pick someone else up first."


	3. Prison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please note that I do in face LOVE Tony Stark with all of my heart, but this scene in particular made me mad for Clint so...so Clint isn’t exactly being kind towards him. Sorry.
> 
> Also, huge shoutout to the people who post scenes from the movie because this is exactly how I got the prison scene dialogue.

Before Scott had gotten into the car, the drive was very quiet. Wanda was upset with Clint for coming to bail her out of her 'prison' and leaving the kids and Laura behind at home. She didn't understand why he'd abandon everyone for her, but before he could explain, she would shut him out, not wanting to hear it.

Now with Scott in the car, he would not stop talking.

"When this is all over, I just want to go home so I can see my kid." Scott announced after a while. "Like, I dig the whole superhero thing, but I see her even less than I used to now. Too much supercrime."

They'd picked up Scott hours after they left Vision buried in forty layers of Earth. Steve had asked them to pick him up on their way to the meet-up location; Scott Lang: The Ant-Man.

How lame was that? Ant-Man? The man of ants. Clint still wasn't over it. It was ridiculous.

"You have a kid?" Clint asked in surprise. He hadn't known that; he never would have picked him up if he had known. The man should have stayed with his kid.

"Yeah. Cassie. She's eight now." Scott said, fumbling around in his pocket and producing a photograph, handing it to Wanda in the passenger seat.

"She is beautiful." Wanda commented, turning the picture so Clint could see.

Clint looked away from the road for a moment to look at the picture, taking in that small face, big brown eyes, and violently being reminded of Lila who was waiting for him at home.

"She looks like you." Clint said as Wanda returned the photo to Scott. "Minus the tiara."

"She's very big into being a princess right now." Scott laughed. "I would hope she wouldn't look like me."

"Why did you come with us then? If you had her at home waiting for you?" Wanda asked curiously.

She was asking Scott, but Clint could see she was looking at him out of the corner of his eyes and his hands unconsciously tightened on the steering wheel.

"I figure if this whole war you guys have going goes south, well, my kid might be in trouble from the aftermath." Scott mused. "I want Cassie to grow up and be happy. She can't do that if she isn't safe."

Clint came to a stop at a stop light, sighing heavily before turning to face Wanda who was still staring at him. 

"And parents will do anything to protect their kids." Clint said firmly and Wanda averted her eyes, swallowing with some difficulty before turning away.

Scott said nothing, but Clint could feel his eyes on them.

Clint continued to drive them straight into war.

* * *

Clint honestly hadn't thought it would come to this.

He knew they wouldn't win; Tony had the law on his side, so even if they'd won the battle and somehow piled into the jet to go to Russia like they'd planned, Tony and his team would have still hunted them down.

Bucky and Steve got away; everyone else was taken to the Raft.

The Raft was built to hold super villains and hardened criminals who were deemed too dangerous to be in regular prison. Ross was really throwing his weight around by deeming half of the Avengers dangerous enough to put in prison.

But fighting the agents who handcuffed him would have been stupid, he let them take him in, reassuring Wanda that everything would be alright as they were piled into a police car and driven off.

They took his clothes, took his bow, all of his arrows, and refused to give him his one phone call. He had wanted to call Laura, tell her what was happening, but they just threw him into a cell and strapped Wanda into a straightjacket.

He really believed the straightjacket was too far and made it known constantly during his imprisonment. Wanda wasn't dangerous, she was a child; why were they treating her like this when it wasn't her fault? Maybe it was his fault, but honestly, at this point, he was blaming Steve and Tony.

If they had just talked to one another like adults instead of acting like children, Clint would be home right about now, enjoying his retirement with his wife and kids and Wanda wouldn't be sitting in a cell being physically restrained like she was some kind of monster.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. This is all my fault." Clint said out loud, finishing up his hundredth lap around the small box that he had to call home from this point forward.

"It is not your fault, Clint." Wanda said quietly in response.

She had barely spoken since they were arrested; her back had been against the bars that separated them all from the outside the entire time they'd been there, not moving, not making a sound. It was like being back in a cell turned her back into who she was when she'd been an experiment for HYDRA; compliant and docile.

"I shouldn't have let Steve convince me to break you out for this cause." Clint said quietly. "I should have gotten you out and taken you home."

Home; the longer he stayed in this cell, the more he missed home.

He wondered if Natasha had called Laura for him; then again, Natasha had been on Tony's side since the start, though she had been the one to let Steve and Bucky go.

"I do not have a home." Wanda replied. "Every time I think I have one, it gets taken away from me."

"It doesn't have to be that way. We can try again." Clint said confidently. "You don't have to be afraid--"

"I am not afraid. It is everyone else that is afraid." Wanda said suddenly, then she sighed heavily. "I am just...very tired, Clint. I am so tired."

"I know, Wanda. I know."

He wanted to fix all of this, but for once, there was nothing he could do; his hands were tied.

When Tony walked into the holding room, head held high and even bruised and battered, his injuries didn't manage to clash with his outfit. Hell, he made the sling look like a fashion statement.

This was Tony's fault and here he was, strutting around and acting like himself, while half of his friends were locked behind bars all because he and Steve had to make it about sides.

Clint started clapping, slow and even though he didn't speak, the motion itself was dripping with sarcasm.

"The futurist is here, gentlemen! He sees all. He knows what's best for you, whether you like it or not." Clint announced, falling onto the bed in his cell and settling for staring at the floor.

He hears Scott snort from the next cell over, Sam rolls his eyes, and Wanda...Wanda just sat there, not moving.

"Gimme a break, Barton." Tony says, approaching his cell. He looks tired, sounds tired, but Clint can't give him an ounce of sympathy. "Like I knew they would lock you up in here, come on."

Clint spits on the floor, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, you knew they would put us somewhere, Tony." He muttered.

"Yeah, but not in some super-max, floating ocean pokey." Tony countered defensively. "This is a place for maniacs, this is a place for--"

"Criminals, Tony." Clint cut in, standing up from his bed and finally facing Tony completely. "I think that's the word you're looking for, right?"

Tony stares at him, startled, mouth opening to reply, but closing it quickly, unable to find anything to say.

"It didn't used to mean me, or Sam or _Wanda."_ Clint said bitterly. "But here we are."

"Because you broke the law." Tony argued.

Clint snorted, turning his back toward him. "Yeah."

"I didn't make you--"

"La La La La..."

"You read it, you broke it." Tony said. His voice is getting harder; he's upset, angry. "Alright, you're grown up. You've got a wife and kids."

Clint's head turned sharply at those words, eyes narrowing. Tony was treading dangerous territory. No one but the team knew about his family and here Tony was practically announcing his biggest secret to Ross and the officials listening in on the audio feed.

"I don't understand." Tony continued casually. "Why didn't you think about them before you chose the wrong side?"

He chose Steve's side because Wanda was on that side and Wanda had needed him. He had joined this stupid fight because he had wanted to protect Wanda from getting caught in the crossfire. All this time he'd been thinking of nothing _but_ his family and Wanda was a part of that equation.

He'd done all of this for _Wanda._

Clint spun back around completely, marching to the cell door as Tony began to walk away, head high again, as if he'd won the argument.

"You better watch your back with this guy." Clint snapped, slamming his hands against the wall separating him from the bars. "Chance he's gonna break it!"

Tony paused in mid-step, hesitating as if he wanted to retort, but he continued down the line, not stopping until he reached Sam's cell. He spoke to Scott briefly, skipped Wanda entirely, and Clint went back to sitting on his bed, head in his hands.

It was a low blow; the back comment. Rhodey was still in the hospital from the hit he'd taken from the fight; a fight that Tony had initiated, so he was probably still reeling from that guilt, but then again, Clint's sympathy was low.

Sam and Tony spoke quietly for a few moments before Tony left again without another word and Clint was still angry about his visit. How could he bring up his family and accuse him of not thinking of them? As if Tony Stark had room to talk about not thinking about others and how choices affected them?

"You should not have said that to him." Wanda said quietly. "Tony is hurting over Rhodey's injuries."

"We're _all_ hurting. He's not the only one hurting because of the choices he's made."

"Remember that Steve _and_ Tony have made choices recently. All of those choices have affected us." Wanda said gently.

Clint let out a heavy sigh, feeling some of his anger leave him. Even after all that had been done to her, she was still so good. "You are amazing." He told her. "You are so _good_."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. After all these people have done to you and you're defending them."

"If I spent all of my time being angry at Tony Stark for his mistakes, I would be Tony Stark." Wanda replied simply.

"Damn." Sam snorted. "Just...damn."

"Like father, like daughter." Scott added.

Clint couldn't help but agree.

* * *

It was probably nearing the middle of the night when the alarms started going off.

None of them had been able to fall asleep, so the noise merely made them aware that something was wrong instead of waking them from a fitful sleep.

Clint sat up on his bed, looking around the room, seeing nothing but flashing lights and hearing nothing but sirens. Everyone was at attention, even Wanda was up and looking.

"What's going on?!" Sam shouted over the noise.

"Jailbreak!" Scott replied, voice brimming with excitement.

Clint rolled his eyes; that was highly unlikely.

But not long after that, someone was breaking down the doors to the room that held all of their cells and none other than Steve Rogers walked through, proudly wearing his Captain America attire. All that was missing was the shield.

"Boy, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Clint asked as Cap approached his cell, unlocking it with what he assumed was a stolen keycard. "Where'd you get the card?"

"We all have our secrets." Steve said, lips quirking up into a smile as Clint stepped out. "You didn't think I was going to let you all sit in here forever, did you?"

"Well..."

"Ouch. Your faith wounds me."

"Hey, guys, I'm all for this witty banter thing we've got going on, but can we get out of here first?" Scott asked.

Steve handed him the card, motioning to the other cells. "You do the unlocking. I'll keep an eye out."

Clint hurried to each cell, releasing Scott, Sam, and finally Wanda.

"Turn around, sweetheart. Let's get you out of this damn thing." He muttered, turning her around so he could undo the straps binding her arms.

"I can't believe he came for us." Wanda admitted, flexing her arms when they were finally free, stiff from being restrained for so long, and Clint moved down the buckles at her back to remove the offending jacket from her entirely.

"You kidding? The man dove headfirst into Nazi Germany for Bucky Barnes." Clint laughed. "As if he'd leave us behind."

Clint undid the last buckle and she pulled her arms from the sleeves. Clint tossed the jacket aside and immediately took her newly free hands in his own. He squeezed, offering her a comforting smile and she squeezed back.

"Clint, I want to go home."

"I'll get you there. I promise." Clint vowed.

"Let's move out, team." Steve called to them. "We're getting out of here."

Clint tugged her hand, leading her along.

"You ready?"

Wanda nodded firmly, free hand sparking with red energy.

"Let's go."


	4. Home

"Should you be flying a plane considering your track record with crashing them?"

They'd been flying for a while, maybe for a few hours. Sam and Scott were sprawled out in their own seats, asleep, while Wanda was snuggled up against Clint's side, asleep as well with her  head pillowed against his shoulder. She hadn't wanted to be very far away since their escape and Clint didn't expect her to be.

"You are hilarious." Steve said with a shake of his head and probably a roll of his eyes. "I'm starting to wish I left you behind."

"That's not a nice thing to wish for, especially when you could be wishing for other things." Clint teased. "Like...world peace or unlimited pizza forever or mending your relationship with Stark."

Steve didn't take the bait and Clint sighed. Maybe a little too soon on that one.

"So, how long are you two going to duke this one out?" He asked next.

Steve sighed heavily.

"Probably a lot longer than any of us anticipated." He replied after a few moments. "He's pretty upset with me and I understand. He has every right to be."

"Cap, Rhodey wasn't your--"

"It's not about Rhodey." Steve said firmly. "He's probably blaming himself for Rhodey more than he's blaming us."

"Then...the accords?" Clint asked, confused. If it wasn't about Rhodey or the accords, then what could it possibly be about?

"Bucky did a lot of bad things when HYDRA had him, but it wasn't his fault." Steve said carefully. "They made him do it. He wasn't in control."

"Of course it wasn't his fault." Clint said honestly, still confused. "Stark blames him for something?"

He knew a great deal about brainwashing; he still woke up in the middle of the night over Loki and the attack on New York.

Even Natasha still woke up from memories of Red Room. 

"Yeah. I guess he just needs someone to take it out on, because we both know it wasn't Bucky who did those things but their influence on Bucky that did." Steve continued. "Tony was just..."

"Angry." 

"Yes."

"And you defended Bucky."

It wasn't a question; he _knew_ Steve had defended Bucky.

Steve was silent; Clint didn't push him to answer.

"Yes." He said finally. "And I lied to him about something. I though I was protecting him, but that wasn't my call to make."

Clint wanted to ask what Steve had hidden from Tony, but honestly, it wasn't his business. 

"I wish it could have gone better, but...I made my choices. So did he."

Clint hummed, glancing down at Wanda, who was still asleep against his shoulder.

They all made their choices; Tony chose the accords, Steve chose Bucky, Clint chose Wanda. There was never an action that went without consequences.

Steve ran a hand over his face, shaking his head.

"We still have a few hours." He told him. "Get some sleep. You're going to want to be rested."

Clint was so tired, but he didn't think he could sleep. He was just too restless after everything that had happened; he was half expecting someone to show up and shoot them out of the sky. He shifted, letting his head tilt to rest on Wanda's and closing his eyes regardless.

"Where are we going anyway? You haven't said."

"Wakanda."

* * *

 

Clint ended up sleeping through the rest of their flight, having been more exhausted than he'd previously thought.

They got off the plane and were greeted by none other than King T'Challa himself. He was different from how Clint remembered from the airport fight; he seemed more at peace, happy, and more importantly, on their side.

He explained he was opening his home to them as a place to hide away from Ross and any other government associates. He promised them protection and hospitality, beds and hot meals; Clint wondered if the man would consider bringing Laura and the kids there.

Steve led them inside and waiting for them in the foyer was someone Clint was probably the last person he'd expected to be there.

"Nat? What are you doing here?" Clint asked in surprise.

The last time he'd seen Natasha, they were beating the hell out of each other at the airport; well, _she'd_ been beating the hell out of _him,_ he'd been treating it more like a training game.

"And I thought you'd be happy to see me." Natasha said, eyes teasing, lips curling up at one corner. "I heard this is the place all superheroes who were wanted by the law for treason are hanging out."

Clint blinked. "Treason? You were on Stark's side."

"I made a different call."

Clint hummed, studying her face before moving forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a half hug which she returned. "Throwing that line at me, huh?"

"Is it working?" She teased.

"Doesn't it always?"

Natasha smiled a little wider, giving him a nudge before pulling away. "I have a surprise for you." She said, motioning down the hall. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

Clint gave her an odd look, but nodded, turning to Wanda who had been lingering a little ways behind him.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

Wanda shrugged, picking at the already chipped nailpolish on her nails. She'd been more than a little anxious since they left The Raft; Clint didn't blame her. She'd been treated the worst of them all while they were imprisoned.

 "It is very...open here." She said thoughtfully. "It seems like a peaceful place."

"It does. Maybe peaceful enough that we can actually stay here." Clint said, putting his hands over hers so she would stop fidgeting. "Stop. You're among friends. We're safe."

"Are we? They will only end up finding us."

"T'Challa won't let that happen." Clint promised. "He's a good man."

"Twelve hours ago, he hated you."

"Well, if Cap likes him, how bad can he be?" Clint asked with a smile.

Wanda didn't smile back, but she didn't pull her hands away.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you again. I'll die before they take you back there." Clint promised.

Wanda opened her mouth to say something, but she glanced over his shoulder and whatever she saw caused her to close it.

"Clint?"

Clint tensed at the sound of that voice; he knew that voice and he couldn't believe that voice was here talking to him. He released Wanda's hands, turned around before staring in disbelief at the person in front of him.

"Laura."

There she was, standing next to Natasha and smiling her smile. Clint moved across the room to her, reaching out to cup her face in his hands so he could take in every detail of her face. Her big brown eyes, her smile, the small smatter of freckles across her nose; God, he was so happy to see her.

"Hi." He whispered and she reached up to place her hands over his.

It was like it was just the two of them; they only had eyes for each other.

"Hi." She whispered back, leaning up to meet him halfway for a light kiss.

It was brief, but only because Natasha cleared her throat and reminded the two of them that there were others present in the room with them. Clint pulled away, smiled at Natasha sheepishly in response, before settling for holding Laura's hands.

"But...how?"

"I left Stark's team after the airport fight. You were in jail...Laura and the kids needed protection." Natasha explained simply.

"The kids are here too?"

"They're outside playing. Nathaniel is taking a nap." Laura said. "They'll be so happy to see you."

Laura took this moment to pull her hands out of his hold, moving around him to make a beeline straight for Wanda, holding open her arms until she was wrapped up in them.

"Hi, sweet girl." Laura murmured, hugging her tight and Wanda hesitated before her arms came up to hug her back.

"Hello, Laura..."

"It's so good to see you." Laura continued. "The kids will be thrilled."

Clint saw Wanda's fingers slowly curl into the back of Laura's shirt, holding onto her as if her life depended on it. It took only moments before her shoulders started shaking and Clint moved back across the room to the two women so he could place his hand on Wanda's back.

"Wanda, what's wrong?" He asked. He would think she'd be happy; everyone was where they needed to be and that was together.

Wanda sniffed. "It's just...been a very long week." She said.

Clint knew all about it and he was sure Laura had only a small idea of what had gone on when they'd been prisoners on The Raft, but she was with both of them now, off the grid and safe; nothing was going to touch them now.

"I know." Clint said soothingly, wrapping his arms around both of them while Wanda shook silently in their arms. "But we're all here. You're safe."

Laura nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Wanda's head.

Home wasn't a place for Clint, it was people. Laura was home. His children were home.

Wanda was home.

As long as they were all together, he was home.

"You're home." Laura said soothingly.

They were home and he didn't plan on them leaving any time soon.

"We're home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the word 'home' too much.
> 
> This is the end of this journey, but it never really ends over on my [Tumblr.](http://boomerangarrows.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I take writing prompts there, mostly Clint Barton related, so if you enjoy my writing and would enjoy an idea brought to life by me, please don't hesitate to ask!


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